Machine for cutting picture-mats.



No. 709,ll6. Patented Sept l6, I902.

C. l. SHAWVER.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING PIGTUREMATS.

(Application filed Jan. 16, 1902.)

2 Shaets'8heet l.

(No Model.)

INVENOR.

A TTORNE Y.

' WITNESSES THE nonms F'EYERS cu, Puoro-umo" wAsH mcmw. u. c.

No. 709, ll6. Patented Sept. I6, I902. G. I. SHAWVER.

.mAcH mE Foscumue P ICTUBE MATS.

' (Application filed Jan. m, 1902.)

(lo Mpdel.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

WITNESSES A TTORNEY.

THE NORRIG PETERS 0a,, PHOYO-LITHOA msmu'cmn. 9

UN'rn TAT-ES CHARLES I. SHAW'VER, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING PICTURE-MATS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 709,116, datedSeptember 16, 1902. Application filed January 16, 1902. Serial No.89,964. (No model.)

a citizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the countyof Clark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Machines for Cutting Picture-Mats,of which the followingis a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanyingdrawings.

This invention relates to machines for cutting picture-mats, and is inthe nature of an improvement upon the machine set forth in LettersPatent No. 673,483, granted to me May 7, 1901, although my presentinvention is ap plicable to other machines of a similar type.

The object of my present invention is to provide means for improving theregularity and efficacy of operation of the cutting-tool,

and to these ends my invention consists in certain novel features whichI will now proceed to describe and will then particularly point out inthe claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a machineembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3is a perspective view of the tool-carrying arm and tool. Fig. l is afront elevation of the same. Fig. 5 is a side elevation with the arm insection. Fig, 6 is a sectional view taken on the line m w of Fig. 5 andlooking in the direction of the arrows, the shank of the tool being inelevation; and Fig. 7 is a plan section taken on the line y y of Fig. land looking in the direction of the arrows.

For a general description of the machine shown in Figs. 1 and 2reference is made to my prior Letters Patent hereinbefore referred to,it being sufficient for an understanding of the present invention tostate that said machine comprises an operating-lever 1, secured on ashaft 2, which is capable of both vertical and rotary motion in abearing 3, and which shaft imparts its vertical motion to atool-carrying arm 4., which moves in either a circular or ellipticalpath, according to the adjustment of the machine. Downward pressure onthe operating-lever 1 causes a corre sponding downward movement of thetool 5 toward the table 6, on which the work is supported, and in mypreferred construction a spring 7 is interposed between the bearing 3and operatinglever 1 in order to hold this latter normally in its raisedposition.

In practice it has been found that where an excessive downward pressureis placed upon the operating-lever l the cutting-tool is forced entirelythrough the work and into the table or support, thereby not onlydamaging both table and cutter, but also retarding the work. I proposeto obviate this difficulty by providing a stop to limit the downwardmovement of the operating-lever and cutter, so as to prevent the latterfrom passing through the work to too great an extent, and for thispurpose I prefer to employ an adjustable stop, so that the downwardmovement of the cutter may be limited to suit varying circumstances. Tothis end I provide a threaded aperture in the operating-lever 1, nearthe center thereof, adjacent to the shaft 2, and through this thread edaperture I insert a corresponding threaded stop pin or screw 8, whichmay be vertically adjusted, in an obvious manner, so as to cause itslower end to project to a greater or less extent below theoperating-lever. This stop pin or screw is provided with a locking-nut9, by means of which it may be secured after adjustment to preventaccidental disarrangement. The bearing 3 is provided on its upper sidewith a flat horizontal surface 10, parallel with the table or support 6and having a normally-fixed distance above the same when the machineisinoperation. Thisbearing-surface is of a radius such that the lower end ofthe stop pin or screw 8 will contact with it when the lever isdepressed, this contact taking place no matter what the angular positionof the lever may be throughout its circle of rotation. It will thus beseen that by properly adjusting the stop pin or screw 8 the cutter 5 maybe prevented from cutting too deeply through the material operated on,thereby preventing damage to the table or support and to the cutter andalso preventing too great a resistance to the power applied to theoperating-lever to rotate the same.

In mat-cutting machines of the character to which this inventionrelates, in which the cutting-tool travels in a circular or ellipticalpath, a rigid connection between the cutting tool and the arm by whichit is carried is satisfactory where the edge of the opening is verticalor at right angles to the surface of the mat; but where this edge isinclined or beveled it is desirable to provide for a movement of thecutting-tool toward and from the center of the mat for the reason thatwhen the lower edge of the tool first engages the mat it does so on theupper surface thereof at the top of the cut, and as the tool advancesinto the material its lower edge must move inward toward the center ofthe mat to make the bevel, its final position being some distance inwardfrom its initial position. To permit this movement it has heretoforebeen proposed to provide a swiveling connection between the shank of thetool and the arm by which it is carried. This, however, hascertainobjections. Atrailingcutting-toolswiveling around a vertical axis(by which I mean a tool having its cutting edge some distance in therear of its vertical swiveling axis) has in a machine of this type acertain normal path or orbit which it follows after it has become fullyengaged with the material on which it operates; but prior to theengagement of the tool with the that it is free to swing outward undercentrifugal force beyond this normal path or orbit when theoperating-lever is turned. In practice this is found to occur, so thateither by reason of the tool being so turned when the operating-lever isdepressed as to strike the mat outward or beyond its normal path or byreason of its assuming such a position owing to the rotary motion of themachine before it strikes the mat there are formed cuts ordisfigurements in that portion of the mat which is exposed to view whenthe mat is in use, which portions lie outward from the normal path ofthe cutter. These defective mats materially detract from the value ofthe work performed by these swiveling cutters. I propose to remedy thisobjection by substituting for the swiveling cutter a trailing cutterwhose movement outward is limited to its normal path and which shall befree to move inward or toward the center of the mat to form the bevel,this inward movement being preferably limited. To this end I provide thevertical shank 11 of the cutter with a notch or recess 12, preferablycurved from top to bottom, as shown in Figs. 4 and 6, and of a widthless than the width of the cutter, thus leaving a vertical wall l3,whichforms a stop-shoulder. The shank of the cutter is mounted to rotate in acollar 14, carried by a clip 15, adjustable on the arm 4, and aset-screw 16 is threaded through the collar 14, its extremity enteringthe recess 12, as shown. In practice the end of the set-screw extendsinto the recess to a greater or less extent, as desired, and thearrangement is such that the stop-shoulder 13 contacts with the end ofthe set-screw when the cutter has moved outward to its normal positionor is following its normal trailing path, beyond which it cannot go byreason of the contact between the stop-shoulder and set-screw. Thecutter is permitted to swing inward from this position to a greater orless extent, according to the position of the setscrew, its range ofmovement decreasing as the set-screw is advanced into the recess andincreasing as it is withdrawn. Of course the set-screw may be turned upso that it will lock the cutter absolutely, or it may be withdrawn to anextent sufficient to permit the entire removal of the shank of thecutter from the collar. It is also obvious that where the recess hasshoulders at top and bottom or does not extend the entire length of theshank the setscrew when inserted will prevent the cuttershank fromdropping out of the collar when the machine is raised. Furthermore, thecollar provided with a set-screw is adapted to receive the cylindricalshank of an ordinary straight cutter when the opening being out has astraight instead of a beveled edge. Since the cuttercan not swingoutward beyond its normal path, it therefore cannot come into contactwith that portion of the mat lying outward beyond the same, and hencethe subsequently-exposed surface of the finished mat cannot be damagedby the cutter. Moreover, the stop-shoulder furnishes a ready means forbringing the cutter to its normal position by hand before lowering itinto contact with the mat, and even if this were not done the onlycontact which the cutter can have with the mat is inside of its line ofout, where the damage to the waste center of the mat is immaterial.When, however, the particular construction illustrated or a similar oneis employed, the contact of the bottom of the recess with the end of theset-screw 16 also limits the inward movement of the cutter, so that thislatter is always held in approximately its normal position, althoughfree to yield inward sufficiently to form the bevel. I do not limitmyself, however, to the particular form of recess shown, the essentialfeature being that there shall be some kind of recess which shall allowinward motion of the cutter and a stop-shoulder to limit its outwardmotion.

It will be noticed that the type of cutter to which my invention relatesis, as heretofore stated, What I have termed a trailing cutter in whichthe cutting edge of the tool is in the rear of the vertical axis aroundwhich it swings, so that the edge may automatically follow the lineprescribed to it by the part to which its shank is connected, and thatthe construction which I have devised remedies the difficultiesattendant upon the use of trailing cutters, as hereinbefore pointed out.

I have illustrated in Fig. 3 the normal path of my improved cutter bythe dotted line a 1), beyond which the cutter cannot move, and in thissame figure I have illustrated, by the dotted line a d, the abnormalpath outside of its normal, which a swiveling cutter may and fre quentlydoes follow when it strikes the mat outside of the normal position,thereby in juring the face of the same.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise detailsof construction hereinbefore described, and shown in the accotnpanyingdrawings, as these details may obviously be modified without departingfrom the principle of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a picture-mat-cutting machine, the combination, with a tool-holdertraveling in a curved path, of a trailing tool mounted to rotate aroundan axis at right angles with the plane of saidpath,said tool having itsforward engaging or contact edge in the rear of its axis of rotation,and means for limiting the outward motion of said tool, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a picture-mat-cutting machine, the combination, with a tool-holdertraveling in a circular or elliptical path, of a trailing tool having ashank mounted to rotate around a vertical axis in said holder, said toolhaving its forward engaging or contact edge in the rear of its axis ofrotation, and means for limiting the outward movement of said tool topreventits passing beyond the normal path thereof, substantially asdescribed.

3. Ina picture-mat-cutt-ing machine, the combination, with a trailingcutting-tool having a vertical shank, the cutting edge of said toolbeing in the rear of the axis of the shank, of a tool-holder travelingin acircular or elliptical path, said shank being rotatablymounted insaid tool-holder, and means for limiting the rotation of said shank soas to prevent the vided with a lateral stop-shoulder, of a toolholdercomprising a collar in which said shank is rotatably mounted, and aset-screw adapted to enter the recess and engage the stop-shouh der,substantially as described.

6. In a picture-mat-cutting machine, the combination, with a trailingbevel-cutter provided with a vertical shank, the cutting edge of saidtool being in the rear of the axis of the shank,said shank having alongitudinally curved recess of less width than the shank, whereby alateral stop-shoulder is formed, of a tool-holder comprising a collar inwhich said shank is rotatably mounted, and a set-screw threaded throughsaid collar and having its end extending into said recess and adapted toengage the stop-shoulder when the shank is rotated in one direction,andthe bottom of the recess when the shank is rotated in the oppositedirection, whereby the rotation of the shank is limited in bothdirections, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES I. SHAWVER.

Witnesses:

E. O. IIAGAN, IRVINE MILLER.

